Christmas All Around
by Viwiel Singollo
Summary: Answers to Christmas themed prompts. Crossovers with: Hawaii Five-0, Criminal Minds, Castle, Ocean's trilogy, Lord of the Rings, Mentalist, Leverage, Harry Potter.
1. Then She Kissed Him! x Hawaii Five 0

****The first in the series of twelve answers to Christmas themed prompts that me and my friend Khiela Cadona exchange. The answers will range from 100 to 500 words (this has turned out to be more of a guide line).****

**Prompt for 13.12.11****:  
><strong>**Fandom:** -open-  
><strong>Song:<strong> I _Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus_

**Answer****:**

**Fandom(s):** Hawaii Five-0, Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> implied Steve McGarrett/Buffy Summers

**Disclaimer:** I have no claim on neither Hawaii Five-0 nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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><p><strong>And Then She Kissed Him!<strong>

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><p>It was almost ready. Steve tightened few last screws and stood back to take a look at it.<p>

There, on the back porch, stood a brand new swing he'd bought for his wife as a Christmas present. She loved to admire the sunsets and now she'd have a place she could admire them from. It was even sturdy enough that he and Emily could join her.

Speaking of the devil, the door opened with more force than necessary and a blur of purple and white attacked to hug his legs. It was Emily in all her five-year-old pajama-clad glory.

"Daddy. daddy! You never guess what I saw last night!" she was practically bouncing with excitement, her pigtails swinging along her movements.

"Good morning to you too," he couldn't help but chuckle at her. This wasn't the first and neither would this be the last time she came bouncing about, eager to share something she'd seen or heard.

"_Daddy_…" Emily whined, he wasn't taking her seriously.

"Okay, okay," he surrendered, "do tell, what did you see?"

"I saw Santa Claus!" Emily crowed, the momentarily irritation at her father all forgotten.

"You did? Where?"

"In the living room. I just wanted to get some water, when I saw him," Emily explained her father, although this version was slightly abridged one; the unedited version had more to do with the cookies her mother had baked than sudden thirstiness.

"What was he doing?"

"He was putting presents under the tree," Emily paused her explanation and frowned, "then mommy came there…"

"She did?" Steve asked, fainting surprise. "What did she do?"

"She talked with Santa… and then she kissed him! Why would she kiss him?" Emily asked. She didn't think mommy was supposed to kiss other men than her daddy- even if they were Santa Claus.

"I don't know, maybe she was thanking him for bringing the presents?"

"Oh," Emily thought about it. It sounded reasonable enough.

"We could always ask her…" Steve offered.

"No! Daddy, please, she'd get mad I was out of bed and was spying on her and Santa and then I won't get any cookies," Emily babbled, clearly devastated by what she thought her mother wouldn't do if she found out.

"Calm down, honey," Steve kneeled on the same level with her, "she wouldn't be mad at you for getting some water, but we don't need to tell her if you don't want to."

"It could be our secret?" Emily looked at her father.

"Sure, it'll be our secret," he nodded solemnly.

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><p><strong>AN:** I know people read this, but I'm in dark about what those people think about this, so enlighten me?


	2. A GetTogether x Criminal Minds

**Prompt for 15.12.:  
><strong>**Fandom:** Criminal Minds  
><strong>Character:<strong> Penelope Garcia  
><strong>Theme:<strong> Reconnecting with family  
><strong>Words to include:<strong> 'fairy lights', 'fajitas', 'feline', 'fetching', 'fire'.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own a thing about Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Criminal Minds; only thing I get from this is the semi-satisfied feeling for succeeding to cook something up in time.

**A/N:**If someone wonders the jump in the days, the 14th day's prompt answer is a pure Leverage fic, so it didn't really fit here. It can be found in the Leverage category under 'Not His Brightest Idea'.

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><p><strong>A Get-Together<strong>

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><p>It was a few days before Christmas and Penelope Garcia was busy making sure everything was perfect for her little get-together.<p>

Kevin stopped her as she was straightening the table cloth for the third time and gently pulled her in his lap. "Babe, relax. Everything's fine. Decorations are great and you look positively fetching in that dress of yours."

"But I have to check we have enough food for everybody," She gestured towards the kitchen. "And what if someone wants to eat traditional Christmas foods after all?"

Everyone would get enough Christmas foods on the actual Christmas dinner, so they'd decided on something else entirely; fajitas would be the main dish today.

"There was a vote," Kevin reminded her. "No one wanted them then, I doubt they've changed their minds in two days."

"Okay," a deep breath, "everything's going okay," Penelope said aloud, trying to convince herself. She really hoped so; this would be the first time her cousin met her family away from family and she wanted them to get along.

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><p>They'd finished the diner and were chatting and sipping some refreshers; eggnog or red wine by their personal preferences.<p>

Buffy was speaking with JJ and Rossi about her job in the Council and JJ's short employment in the DoD. There was a halt in the conversation. She looked at the tree in the middle of the room with a thoughtful expression, making her companions glance at it as well.

"Am I the only one who's thinking that-" Buffy paused as she looked at it and tried to find a word to describe it.

It was layered with countless decorations; baubles, fairy lights, gingerbread figures, ribbons, tinsel, candy canes, little chocolates… You name it, it had it.

She was forced to settle with a classic, "that _thing_," she gestured at the tree, "is going to catch on fire?"

"Don't be silly, it's fine," Penelope brushed her comment aside as she passed her to fill a bowl of candies.

People around them wore amused expressions; Buffy wasn't the only one who'd thought about that. And at least the way Hotch had taken a look and moved further away from it indicated he didn't trust it to stay upright with all the weight it was carrying.

"Actually," Reid interjected, "did you know that there's every year an average of 240 fires that are caused by Christmas trees? And that's only in the States," Reid enlightened them.

"See?" Buffy directed at her cousin. "The smart cookie here agrees with me."

"He's not agreeing with you," Penny denied shaking her head, "he's just relaying the statistics. Besides, I remember hearing something about a Thanksgiving diner a while back from aunt Joyce…" she trailed off.

"Oh, you wouldn't," Buffy narrowed her eyes.

"But I would."

"You're evil. How can you be that evil?"

"Ladies," Morgan interrupted from the sidelines, "I'm sensing a story here?"

Buffy's "nuh uh" was drowned out by Penelope's gleeful "oh, yeah".

"Do tell," JJ grinned.

"Well there might have been some kinks in the cooking department as well as some uninvited guests, but that's all I'm willing to share," Buffy told them.

The topic changed to Morgan's youth's cooking mishaps.

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><p>Buffy got up from her seat, stretching herself in a decidedly feline way.<p>

"Penny, thanks for the diner. I had a lovely time," she smiled.

"You're leaving? Already?" Penelope pouted.

"Afraid so, I have to arrange some things for Dawn's stay." Dawn would come to spend the holidays with Buffy, and all of them; Buffy, Dawn, Penelope and Kevin would be spending the Christmas eve together.

"Okay, I'll see you in a few days," they shared a hug.

"Bye everybody," Buffy waved at the door, "it was great meeting you all. I'll see you later. JJ, call me about the shopping trip!"

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><p><strong>AN:** Okay, this one run a little on long side, and it's unbetaed as is the previous one so I'll gladly hear if there's typos or something else wrong. Next one will be a Castle crossover.


	3. Playing With Strangers x Castle

**Prompt for 16.12.11:**

**Fandom(s):** Castle & -blank-; Castle introduces someone to people spotting around Christmas time in New York.

**Answer:**

**Fandoms**: Castle (_Richard Castle_), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (_Buffy Summers_)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Castle or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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><p><strong>Playing With Strangers<strong>

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><p>With a relieved sigh Buffy sank on bench of one of the café's free tables, dropping her shopping bags next to her. She was finally done; she got Christmas presents for everyone.<p>

She took a sip of her caramel cappuccino and started going through a mental checklist of things she still needed to buy or arrange before the actual Christmas.

She'd gotten to number fourteen, 'check with Dawn to confirm when she'd arrive', when a man a few tables over started to yell in his cell phone about Christmas tree's decorations. Her eyebrows rose involuntarily, she knew the holidays could be stressful, but she hadn't realized some took them _that_ seriously.

Buffy's attention was divided from the man's yelling when the guy in the table next to her looked at her and indicated at the man who the waitress was telling to keep it down, "in his early fifties, wife about to leave him for his golf buddy's son and plans to take the dog with her. He'll die inside three years from heart attack. "

"Is that so?" Buffy arched an eyebrow.

"Uh huh," the man nodded decidedly with a twinkle in his eyes. "And her?" he tilted his head towards the waitress who looked like she was about to start yelling back at the man. "Getting married next spring. Her mother-in-law- that woman sitting in the corner table, is making her miserable by dictation the wedding plans."

"And you think so why?" Buffy got curious.

"She got an engagement ring and she looked at that woman the same way I used to look at my mother-in-law."

Buffy had to grin along with him, he had a very infectious smile.

"Your turn?"

"It is? But mommy told me not to play with strangers," she summoned a child-like pout.

"I'm Richard Castle," he leaned to shake her hand over the space between the tables.

"Buffy Summers," she offered in exchange.

"Now that we know each other, it's your turn. How about that guy sitting with the woman in red shirt over there?"

"Him?" Buffy hummed as she watched the man in question. He was in his mid-twenties, dark hair, nice features, expensive clothing...

"He was set up with that girl by his best friend, who doesn't know he's been dating the best friends little sister for two months," she nodded to herself, "he's checking on his phone every few minutes, meaning his girlfriend knows about this, got mad, but still doesn't want to tell her brother."

The man who she was "playing" looked at the pair considering her story, "could be, yes. Not half bad for a starter."

"Why thank you," Buffy grinned playfully, bowing her head.

They were interrupted by his cell phone. "I'm sorry I got to take this," he apologized to her. "Beckett, what is it? ...I'll be right there," he promised and hung up.

"I have to run. It was most pleasant meeting you," he told her in a gallant way.

"Likewise," Buffy nodded with a smile.

"Here's my number, give me a call if you want to play again or catch a dinner with me," he gave her his card.

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><p><strong>AN:** I welcome all corrections, ideas and opinions, so please, leave a review? Oh, and my friend _Khiela Cadona_ ended up writing something quite similar, only with _Castle_ and _Blue Bloods_ (the one with police officers, not vampires), so if you're interested check out her_ Twelve Days Till Christmas_.


	4. Someone Who Makes Life Interesting

**Prompt for 17.12.11:**

**Fandoms:** Ocean's trilogy & -_blank_-

**Quote:** _"I don't know if I should care for a man who made life easy; I should want someone who made it interesting."_ – Edith Wharton

**Word to include:** 'candy cane'

**Answer:**

**Fandoms:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer (_Buffy Summers_), Ocean's trilogy (_Rusty Ryan_)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own a thing about Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Ocean's trilogy.

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><p><strong>Someone Who Makes Life Interesting<strong>

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><p>For once Buffy had arrived somewhere in time; it seemed she was always running late these days. Today she was even a little early getting in the restaurant she would be meeting her date of the evening.<p>

She paused at the restaurant's door to survey the people inside for a man with a pink rose in his front pocket. That was how she'd been told she would recognize her date.

Her friend Tess had arranged this; she thought Buffy needed someone in his life and was convinced this friend of her and her husband's was a perfect match for Buffy.

Buffy was decked out in a new emerald dress and black high heels for the occasion. She had figured she might as well use the opportunity to dress up.

She found her date, or at least he had the right kind of flower. She watched from the shadows of the doorway as he dug a miniature candy cane from his inside pocket and started munching on it.

She studied him; he certainly was handsome in his suit, just like Tess had promised. She saw him flash a mischievous grin to as answer to a passing kid's grin.

Her first impression was that he was one of those people who trouble followed around like a lost puppy. She tilted her head as she considered the chances of them actually getting along.

Her lips curled up against her will as a self-deprecating thought came to her. When did she ever go for men who made life easy? Riley had been the closest to being normal from all her boyfriends and look how that ended.

Having made her mind, she abandoned her hiding place to make her way to the table.

"Hi!" she greeted him with a smile, "I'm Buffy, are you Rusty?"

"Yes," he stood up, smoothing out his jacket. "Rusty Ryan," he introduced himself with a charming smile you couldn't help but answer. "It's nice to finally meet you. Tess has spoken so much about you."

"She has?" Buffy questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, yes," Rusty confirmed. "Here, have a seat," he drew a seat out for her.

They started by talking about how they had met the Oceans and then proceeded on to various other topics.

To her surprise Buffy found herself having fun with Rusty and in the end of the evening she had agreed to go out on another date with him.

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><p><strong>AN:** Didn't turn out very Christmassy, now did it? Hmph. Anyhow, I always like to hear what you think, so please, leave a review.

Khiela's making me write SPN/CM for tomorrow so we'll see what comes out from that. I think I'm lucky if I scrape together a hundred words. I probably end up posting that piece either on it's own or in _Infinite Possibilities_.


	5. There Would Be Consequences x LotR

**Prompt for 19.12.11:**

**Fandom(s):** Lord of Rings & optional second fandom

**Quote:** _"Everybody wants to go back to nature –but not on foot."_ –Werner Mitsch

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><p><strong>Answer: <strong>

**Fandoms:** Lord of the Rings (_Gandalf_), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (_Buffy Summers_)

**Summary:** She was going to arrange a very public execution to the person who was responsible for this mess; they ruined her Christmas!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Lord of the Ring or Buffy the Vampire Slayer; I'm playing with other people's toys. I promise I put them back when I'm done.

**A/N:** This happens some time before Saruman's evilness was widely known, the woman was one of Rohirrims, and she set Buffy in the direction of Isengard.

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><p><strong>There Would Be Consequences<strong>

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><p>Buffy yanked another leaf out of her hair with a deep scowl.<p>

When she had mentioned in passing about a month ago that it could be nice to spend Christmas in some remote place, this certainly was not what she had in mind.

Back then, in her mind she had summoned a scene that was pictured in so many movies. She saw herself and her loved ones in some cute little cabin. It would be cold outside, and the ground would be covered by high snow drifts, but inside of the cabin would be warm and comfortable. It would have a roaring fire in the fireplace and some candles around illuminating it. They would enjoy the cozy atmosphere, have fun, exchange gifts wrapped in colorful papers…

But no. That didn't happen, and by the looks of it, wouldn't happen during this year. She was stuck in some strange dimension; a place called Middle Earth- or was it Centre Earth? She forgot what the woman she had called this place, it wasn't like she had had stayed for long and chatted about everything.

.

Not long after being dumped in this world Buffy had saved a woman from what she assumed were this world's demons or at least the bad guys. They hadn't felt quite like demons to her radar, or to be precise, they hadn't felt like her world's demons. Nevertheless, they had tried to murder the woman and if she understood right, eat her, so she had been forced to do with the slayage.

Afterwards, when she had gotten the woman to calm down, she had inquired the woman if she knew anybody who could wield magic, all the while conscious of the fact that there was a possibility she would be called insane and/or be tossed in a dungeon.

The woman had agreed that there were people like that, and that they probably could help her, but warned that they were scattered around and a distance away. When Buffy had pressured her, she had shown what way one of the wizards resided. She wouldn't have wanted to let Buffy go, but Buffy hadn't left her much of a choice, telling she'd miss Christmas if she didn't get things rolling. Leaving the confused woman behind she'd left to find one of these wizards to send her home.

.

As she made her way through the bushes and whatnots, it started to bug her she couldn't remember the name of this place. Something Earth, but what? She frowned.

After giving it a moment of thought, she shook her head, it didn't matter what this place was called. Either way, from what she'd seen, it was lacking some things that Buffy felt were essential to her wellbeing; central heating, showers and indoor plumbing for a start. Not to mention, didn't even have Christmas! And she was betting Hanukkah was completely unknown concept to these people as well.

If she found the person who was responsible for the gigantic mess of sending her here she would be arranging a very public execution.

That was once she found someone to send her home or Willow would be alerted and she could fetch Buffy home from this hell hole.

Never did she think she would some day actually miss the hellmouth. It's a wonder what being soaking wet and struggling one's way through a piece of vengeful landscape could do to one's perspective.

She smacked a creeping tree branch away with a dark look. "Try something and you'll be a pile of wood chips," she threatened the old looking tree. She was positive these trees weren't just some run the mill vegetation; several had tried to kill her in ways that couldn't be mistaken for anything else than attempts on her life. After she had gone through one of her threats, they had lay off a little and seemed to hesitate before trying to take on her.

.

It was now even darker than it had been before, and that was saying something. There were probably caves that had better lighting that this forest did.

Suddenly there were some sounds around that stood out from the general sounds of the forest. It was a distinct sound of somebody walking and it came from her right.

Considering she was armed, she deemed there was no harm in revealing her position to that someone. Besides, it wasn't like they weren't aware of her as well. Sounds from of both of their walking were easy to distinguish.

"Who's there?" she surveyed the direction the sounds had come from.

"Hello," a person emitting soft light stepped away from the trees that had concealed him from her eyes. He was a tall, lean man with long white hair and beard, dressed in white robes. He had a long staff in his hand.

"Hi?" her answer to his greeting came out more like a question as she looked at him. He reminded her of Harry Potter movies' Dumbledore or Santa Claus, although in her imagination Santa was- well, built heavier than this man.

"I'm Gandalf the White," he introduced himself. "You're not one of this world," he stated with certainty after studying her.

"Nope, I'm not from around here. I'm Buffy Summers. There was a mess with portals and I got send in this dimension."

"A traveler from far away, then."

"Yes. At first I was resigned I'd have to wait till Willow- my friend who is a witch, grabs me, but then I found out there's wizards in this world, and that they might be able to help me."

"Whoever you talked with was right, we are capable of helping you."

"You're a wizard?" her eyebrows rose. What was the likelihood of that?

"Yes. You say your friend is capable of feats like reaching across dimensions like that?" he studied her face intently.

"Yup," Buffy confirmed.

"She's quite powerful then. Perhaps it's wiser to let her reach you. It iss somewhat easier to reach out for someone than it is to send someone somewhere. Especially if the place you are trying to send someone is unknown to the sender."

"That makes sense- I think," Buffy considered what the old man was trying to explain to her.

"Say, if she hasn't reached you in three days, I'll do my best to send you back to your world, Is that alright with you?"

"Sure," Buffy agreed. She wasn't thrilled about spending her holidays in this place, but what he proposed was reasonable.

"You'll have to travel with me to for that time. I have places to be," he informed her.

Buffy nodded, it wasn't like she thought he lived here in woods. For one, keeping his robes that white had to be a pain in the ass…

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><p><strong>AN: **As you can see, the end's open, so it's quite possible I'll pick this up on a later date, but until then I'll let it be here.

Tell me what you thought of it?


	6. Memories x Mentalist

**Prompt for 20.12.11:**

**Fandoms:** -blank- & Mentalist; S/he got the package in the mail and while it looked innocent enough s/he was suspicious of it.

**Include:** 'smirk', 'chocolate' and 'toothache'.

**Answer:**

**Fandoms:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer (_Faith Lehane_) & Mentalist (_Patrick Jane_)

**Pairing:** past Buffy/Patrick

**A/N:** Companion piece to '_**One Final Look**_' that can be found from _Infinite Possibilities_. This features a little softer, adult Faith.

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><p><strong>Memories<strong>

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><p>She pursed her lips as she stared at the plain brown package on her kitchen table. Her arms were crossed across her chest in a plainly defensive way.<p>

She got the package in the mail and while it looked innocent enough she was suspicious of it. It was only natural; she had seen the name of the sender.

She wasn't afraid of him, or that the package would contain something harmful. She was afraid of the memories the mere unopened package stirred. She was also confused why he chose to contact her after all these years. She had been under the impression that the unvoiced decision she had made not to be in contact with him went in both ways, and until today her assumption had been right.

She remembered the times she had met her sister and him; the one she had chosen to spend the rest of her life with. They had always been so sweet it had damn nearly given her toothache.

She herself had always gotten along with him, and had supported her sister in the decisions she made, much more than the brat had. Sure, she agreed he was a little arrogant and reckless, but who were she to cast any stones?

The death of her sister had hit them all hard. She had been there for the aftermath, watching from the sidelines as they blamed him for her death, repeating how she would be alive if it wasn't for him. The way she saw it, it was just the opposite. She wouldn't have lived as long as she did, if it hadn't been for him and the kiddo. Those two had meant the world to her.

She made her decision, is nothing else; she owed it to her sister's memory to open that cursed package. Besides, what kind of Slayer would she be if she let an inanimate object defeat her?

She sat down and draw the package closer. She cut through the tapes holding the box closed and carefully lifted the lid open. There was a plain brown book and a folded paper on it.

When she unfolded the paper, she found a short message from him.

'_I was going through some of her possessions and found a box with photographs. I thought you would want copies._

_Merry Christmas.  
>–P '<em>

_S_he lifted the heavy photo album that she had earlier mistaken for a book and laid it on her lap. With some hesitation she opened it.

Her hand rose involuntarily to cover her mouth and she bit her lip to keep the tear at bay when old memories and feelings coursed through her. The whole album was full of photos of her sister's life.

She was fast to leaf through the first pages that had photos of her life before her husband. She wanted to get to the photos of the part of her sister's life during which she knew she had been the happiest.

There was one of her and her sister and goddaughter baking chocolate chip cookies. After having her daughter, her sister had went to some classes and gotten better with cooking and baking, something she was sure he had appreciated.

She smiled softly when she saw one from her sister's last birthday. They had spent it on the beach behind their house.

She caressed the photo of her sister. It was a close-up and she was laughing with her hair blowing in the wind. Tears glistened in her eyes as she recalled how happy they all had been and all the plans they had made.

There was a photo of her sister with her birthday cake. Amusement replaced the bittersweetness and a smirk rose on her face at the memory of her sister's terrified expression when she had seen the mess her husband and daughter had made in the kitchen when baking that cake.

She spend hours going through the photographs, remembering stories behind them.

When she had gone through she put the album on her shelf with a gentle smile adorning her lips. It hadn't been nearly as painful as she had feared, reminiscing the old days.

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><p><strong>AN:** It was surprisingly hard not to mention any names… I hope it's not too confusing. Tell me what you think? And once again it's unbetaed, so if you see typos, inconsistencies, etc. please inform me of those.


	7. Forever Ago x Leverage

**Prompt for 21.12.11:**

**Fandom:** Leverage; Eliot's pov.  
><strong>Song:<strong> Bad Things by Jace Everett.

**Answer:**

**Fandoms:** Leverage (_Eliot Spencer_), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (_Buffy Summers_)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the wonderful worlds of Leverage and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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><p><strong>Forever Ago<strong>

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><p>There was almost unnoticeable hint of hesitation in Eliot's movements as he saw someone he recognized. He knew Sophie had spotted it as he saw her cast a searching look at his direction.<p>

He was quick to press past the moment of freezing, but he couldn't help but wonder what she was doing here in a high-class Christmas party. She was dressed appropriately in a cocktail dress and high heels and her hair were gathered up in an elaborate hairdo.

The settings he had met her in the other side of the globe years ago had been as opposite as they could. The way she looked had changed drastically as well.

It had been during time when he had been younger and more reckless back then than he was the present day.

xxx

_He was killing some time in a backwater town's rundown bar while waiting for his ride out of this hell hole to arrive._

_He was sipping from his whiskey when there was a pause in the conversations as someone new entered the place, accompanied by a gust of clear air that was fast to mix with the smoke-filled and dense air inside. _

_He turned his head to side to take a look of whoever it was. He liked to be aware of his surroundings, it one of the things behind his success._

_He was slightly surprised by what he saw. He hadn't expected it to be an attractive, petite blonde woman whose entrance had caused the momentarily silence. Although, he would have been more surprised if she hadn't been decked in black leather and if she hadn't had the air of danger like she did. When he looked closer, he could detect as least two knives on her._

_Considering everything, he estimated the pause must have been caused by equal amounts of trepidation and plain surprise of seeing a woman who wasn't a hooker enter the dive. _

_As he followed her with his eyes, she surveyed the crowd in briefly. Their eyes locked and she must have seen something in his eyes as she gave a nod to him before heading to the bar. _

_She came to his little corner table once she had gotten a glass of what he assumed was her brand of poison._

"_Do you mind if I sit?"_

_His answer was a wordless gesture to be his guest and grab a seat._

"_Thanks," she sat on a seat next to him._

_They had been sitting there a while, drinking their liquors in silence, when a twitchy-looking man entered. He went to the bar and asked something from the bartender. In response to that question the bartender gestured to their table. He was immediately on alert. _

_The nervous man came to their table and addressed not him but the blonde woman, "S-s-slayer?" _

"_Yes, you got the item for me?" she looked at the man with a look that told Eliot she was surprised by it somehow._

"_Y- yes," the man nodded twice in rapid succession._

"_Oh, goodie," the woman, now identified as Slayer, stated with a sarcastic tone. She grabbed the small black pouch the man offered and peeked inside it. She lifted her eyebrows in a manner that said 'look at that'. She went and dug a similar looking pouch from her pocket– assumedly a reward for whatever she had been handed, and gave it to the man who then stammered his thanks and slipped out of the door._

_Once he was out of sight, Slayer gave a gleeful smile._

"_Good news?" he raised an eyebrow._

"_Definitely, next round's on me."_

_The next round was on her, but they didn't stop there. Especially since he got a message his ride was delayed._

xxx

They met in the bar that was almost empty with everybody socializing. When he entered she was already sitting on a bar stool.

"Spencer," she acknowledged without looking as he climbed on a stool next to her. He assumed she had seen him come from the mirror behind the bar.

"Slayer," he replied, claiming the seat next to her.

"Actually, it's Buffy Summers these days," she corrected him, this time looking at him and giving him a half-smile.

"Call me Eliot," he offered in exchange.

"Nice to see you again," she smiled and seemed to mean what she said.

"Likewise. Can't say I expected to meet you somewhere like this. Or at all, for that matter."

"Things change, and that was long ago."

"True. So, if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

"Same that everybody else is doing– meeting people, making with the merry."

He humphed.

"Okay, part of it was that I knew you and your crew would be here. I've heard of what you do. My company could use your services, I think we could come up with something that works for both sides."

"I'd have to talk to my people."

She nodded at his answer like she'd expected that.

"Let me know what you decide. Also, if you ever need help with the more– slimy side of world, give me a call."

She pushed a white card in front of him and slid down from the stool. He followed her distancing reflection from the mirror.

Once she was out of his sight he picked up the card she had slipped on the table before leaving. It stated she was Buffy Summers, director of IWC. Under her that and the usual contact information, she had scrawled down what he assumed was her personal cell phone number.


	8. The Worst Case Scenario x Harry Potter

**Prompt for 22.12.11:**

**Fandom(s):** Harry Potter & optional

'S/he knew bringing her/his better half to a Weasley Christmas would result in surprise. But this?'

**Answer:**

**Fandoms:** Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

**Pairing:** Charlie Weasley/Buffy Summers

**Disclaimer:** Playing with other people's toys and not making money out of it.

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><p><strong>The Worst Case Scenario<strong>

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><p>He really should have known better than to bring her to a Weasley Christmas. His mind had conjured up a collage of different scenarios, each more terrifying than the previous, as both of the most important women in his life had tempers that rivaled that of a Hungarian Horntail. The outcomes his mind came up with varied from his mother throwing his girlfriend out to his girlfriend destroying something. There was also some featuring a nice, freezing atmosphere for their whole stay. Personally he preferred those.<p>

The reality proved his imagination lacking.

This was more petrifying than anything his imagination had come up with. He exchanged wary looks with Bill.

When his mother pressured him to bring his girlfriend for a visit, he had been reluctant to do so. He had given her a vague promise to ask if his girlfriend would want to spend Christmas with his family. He did that just to fend off his mother who wouldn't have let it go unless he gave her something.

Even when he finally came around to ask, he had been certain she would decline and they'd end up spending the holiday with their respective families. However, much to his surprise she had smiled and told him she would love to meet his family.

Now, here they were, in the Burrow. He sitting between Bill and George with Buffy seated at the opposite side of the table, and what was seriously frightening him, she was amicably chatting with his mother.

When they'd arrived, his mother had been like with she'd been with all his girlfriends she'd met. She had been very polite, but frosty, and Buffy had been naturally cautious after what he'd told her about those meetings his ex-girlfriends had gone through.

He didn't know what happened during the time he took their bags upstairs, but when he came back Buffy was helping his mother in kitchen and telling her of her own family.

He received pitying glances from his brothers and father as his mother started to talk about the importance of family and Buffy agreed with her.


	9. Family Reunion x Supernatural

**Prompt for 23.11.11:**

**Fandom(s):** Supernatural, -optional-

**Words:** 'angel', 'snow', 'cheer', 'open/-ed/-ing', 'reunion'.

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><p><strong>Answer:<strong>

**Fandoms:** Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

**Summary: **Buffy Summers or Remiel, the angel of hope?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Supernatural or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

**A/N:** One wonders what the heck I was thinking when I made up this prompt, but here we go... Happens during the time Lucifer walks free.

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><p><strong>◄ Family Reunion ►<strong>

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><p>She brushed off some of the snow that had gathered on her shoulders during her short walk and knocked on the plain door of the cheap hotel. She had thought this way was better than just appearing in the room unannounced. She knew he was in the company of two hunters, and those tend to rather shoot than ask questions. She'd prefer avoiding getting shot at – again.<p>

A tall, lean man cracked the door open, "Yes?" he questioned, his tone wary.

"Hey," she gave him an awkward smile, there wasn't a really good way to go with this. "Please don't shoot, but I'd like to talk to Cas. He's here, right?"

Suspicion immediately took over what had been politeness.

"Look, I don't mean any harm, I just want to see him," she tried to reassure him.

"Cas?" he called out without taking his eyes off her, "There's someone asking for you."

"Yes?" she didn't recognize his form when he came to stand behind the man who had opened the door but she could _feel_ him. He was echoing the feeling of Heaven, of pureness and light. She almost sighed out aloud; it was so good be close to her family, to feel even an echo of the Heaven, it had been so long.

Just like she could feel him, he could feel her as well and she could see it from the expression on his face.

"Remiel?"

She was half amused by the picture he presented. Her normally unflappable little brother was opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

"Hi," she chirped unnecessarily cheerfully, "How's it going, Cas?" Perhaps not the most appropriate thing to say.

"How? You–" Castiel tilted his head, looking confused. "We all though Lucifer killed you."

"Well, to quote Mark Twain, the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated." She offered him a faint smile.

She didn't receive one in return. She understood how he felt, she could feel the waves of betrayal from him. They were– _had been_, she corrected herself, close, despite of their ranks.

"I'm sorry for not telling you," her apology was heartfelt.

"Why didn't you?"

"It wasn't my decision. I was given a mission and for all purposes it was better if I was thought to be dead. Now that Lucifer is out of the Cage, it's possible he somehow lets someone know he didn't kill me, and there will be questions," she explained. "I wanted you to find out it from me."

"I don't know what to say," he stared at her.

"You don't have to say anything," she offered.

They were interrupted by the humans whose existence they'd completely forgotten.

"Not that this reunion isn't touching," Dean's expression and tone indicated he thought it was anything but that," but who the hell is this chick?" he directed that to Castiel. "Another angel?"

"Yes, she is an archangel, her powers are shadowed only by those of Michael and Lucifer. We all thought she had perished In Lucifer's hands shortly after he declared war on the Heavens," Castiel explained to the Winchesters, but didn't take his eyes off her.

"I heard he's walking free and you will be playing the key pieces in this game. I thought you might have the motivation to help me stop this."

Dean and Sam exchanged looks, it was too good to be true. An archangel wanting to stop Michael and Lucifer's showdown. The were not completely buying it, but nodded to her nonetheless. They would grill Cas for more information later.

"Good," she nodded satisfied by their response. "Cas, can you tell me what's going on? I've been out of the loop for a while."

Castiel went to give her an update of what had been going on. The Winchester brothers injected at times. When Castiel finished his summary of the events, he looked like the seriousness of it all was hitting him all over again.

"Oh, cheer up, Cas," Dean patted his shoulder. "It's not like we're talking about the End of the Days here. "


End file.
